Apparatus for boning fish



Dec. 3, 1940. w @1555 2.224,045

APPARATUS FOR BONING FISH Original Filed July 14, 1959 drawal of the minor bones of the fish by Patented Dec. 3, 1940 Walter A. Gibbs, Holly Oak, Del.

Original application July 14, 1939, Serial No. 284,555. Divided and this application October 21, 1939, Serial No. 300,620

5 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for boning fish and has for an important object thereof the provision of a structure whereby all of the minor bones of a fish, even those having complex bony structures such as shad, may be removed without destroying the shape or appearance of the fish.

Certain of the bones of a fish as, for example, the rib bones are readily accessible through the body cavity and by use of an apparatus including an implement such as that illustrated in my prior application Serial No. 224,379, filed August 11, 1938, for Method and apparatus for removing bones from fish, may be grasped and removed as a unit. Other bones of the fish, particularly in the case of fish such as shad, are, however, so located that they cannot be removed through the body cavity, and a specific object of this invention is to provide means for removing these bones.

In the normal state, these bones adhere firmly to the flesh and, accordingly, any attempt to remove them would, ordinarily, tear the flesh se verly and destroy the contours of the fish. I have found that if the fish, after cleaning, is steamed for a few minutes, five to ten minutes being suflicient for a fish of five or six pounds, these bones are freed. While this treatment does not cook the fish to any appreciable extent or destroy its shape or appearance, it results in loosening of the flesh from the bones so that the bones may be much more readily withdrawn. This method I 1 have claimed in my prior application Serial No. 284,555, for Method of boning fish, filed July 14, 1939, of which the present application is a division.

In accordance with my present invention, I employ, in addition to an instrument such as that shown specifically in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of my prior application Serial No. 224,379 above identified, a shield for engaging the body of the fish and through which the pointed jaws of this implement may be inserted to engage the inaccessibly located or floating bones of the fish. An apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective View illustrating withuse of my apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective partially broken away illustrating the manner of grasping the bones.

As shown in the drawing, I employ a scissor-like clamping extractor it] such as that illustrated in my copending application Serial No. 224,379 above identified, this extractor comprising a pair of pivoted lever elements H the ends of the lever elements at one side of the pivot l2 comprising clamping jaws or gripping means l3 having their free ends somewhat pointed, as indicated at [4 to facilitate their insertion in the fish through the 5 skin thereof with the formation of the smallest possible incision. The opposite ends of the levers merely constitute elements by means of which the clamping jaws may be manipulated. In combination with a tool of this character I employ a 10 plate l5 one end of which may be formed as a hand grip It and the remainder of which is adapted to engage the body of the fish. This plate has openings ll therein, through which the gripping jaws I3 are inserted in the fish to grasp 15 v the bones; The openings of the plate preferably comprise slots opening through an edge thereof since this will permit of insertion of the pointed jaws of the implement H] and subsequent positioning of the plate. They may, however, con- 20 stitute true openings of any desired configuration.

It will be obvious that the plate will serve to prevent tearing of the flesh and skin of the fish as the iniplement I0 is withdrawn with the bones in position therein as shown in Fig. 1. The ribs 25 I8 may, of course, be grasped through the body cavity for removal therefrom. Following removal of the bones, the fish may be cooked in any desired manner as, for example, baked, broiled or fried.

I have hereinbefore described the preparation by preliminary cooking, but it will, of course, be understood that while my apparatus may be most advantageously used in conjunction with the method of the parent application herein identified, it may also be conveniently employed in re- 35 moving bones from fish prepared in other manhers and I, accordingly, do not wish to be understood as confining its use to that method.

Since the construction is obviously capable of considerable modification, the present showing is 40 to be taken as purely illustrative and not limiting.

I claim:;

1. Apparatus for boning fish comprising in combination a plate adapted to engage the body of the fish and having openings therein, and 45 and means for manipulating said jaws. 55

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the openings of the plate comprise slots opening through an edge thereof.

5. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein the openings of the plate comprise slots opening 5 through an edge thereof.

WALTER A. GIBBS. 

